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Wiltshire Police crack down on uninsured drivers in the county

Photo: ITV West Country

Wiltshire Police have announced a crackdown on uninsured drivers this week, up to Sunday 22 October.

Called Operation Drive Insured, it is co-ordinated through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and the National Road Policing Intelligence Forum (NRPIF) and is a national campaign that aims to clamp down on uninsured drivers who continue to try to avoid being caught.

1in100

vehicles are driven without insurance in the county.

Statistics from the MIB show that around 1 in 100 vehicles are driven without insurance - a sum that equates to more than 6000 vehicles registered across the county.

Although most drivers will comply with the law, a small minority continue to drive without regard for others. This comes at both a financial cost (and one which we all carry in our premiums) as well as also a potentially physical one should the uninsured become involved in an accident.

There is a strong correlation between uninsured drivers and those that are also content to put others at risk through drink driving, careless driving or using a vehicle in an un-roadworthy condition.

Wiltshire Police are always on the look-out for uninsured drivers, but during this week-long campaign we will be conducting targeted operations to catch those who put our communities at risk”.

– Sergeant Simon Drewett, Head of the Road Safety Unit at Wiltshire Police

In 2016, Wiltshire Police seized nearly 1,000 vehicles that were being driven either without insurance or not in accordance with a licence.

In 2017 so far, over 850 have been seized for the same reasons, continuing the 30% year on year increase seen since 2015.

Over 50% of seized vehicles are crushed as a consequence.

Our message is very clear; if you continue to drive uninsured then we will catch you and your vehicle will be removed from the roads."

– Sergeant Simon Drewett, Head of the Road Safety Unit at Wiltshire Police

Check if your vehicle has a valid insurance policy recorded on the MID, by visiting: askMID.com.
Check whether someone else’s vehicle is insured in the event of an accident, by visiting: www.askmid.com/askmidenquiry.